Confronting Immorality in the Church

 Confronting Immorality Within the Church Family

Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 5

 

Some things in the Bible are not easy to comment on, and the things Paul writes in this chapter are one

of those places.

 I do not see myself with enough knowledge to present this lesson other than to follow where research will lead me, along with the Word of God.

 We must accept this chapter as something the local church should do when it is known that there is sin in the midst of the congregation.

 In reality, most churches have bylaws that take effect in such situations, and the pastor of the church would be aware of them.

 First, there is no local church that can prevent someone from sinning!

 God gave us free will, and we are still in these bodies of flesh.

 So, the big question is, how does the church, the Body of Christ, respond when someone's sin has become known?

 If we, as church members, take sin lightly and do not put away known sin that is among us, then can we still say we are the church that Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, established?

 These are also things that can divide the church, and we see this happening all over America today.

 Many in the church say, "I just do not see anything wrong with that," rather than seeing what God says about it.

 We must know that there is a difference between "falling into sin" and "living in sin".

 Falling into sin means we have done something that is sinful.

 Living in sin is not something that is done once; it is a sinful practice in everyday life.

 If someone commits adultery once is terrible because it affects two families, but living in adultery is far more terrible.

 What should we do if we know someone is in sin? The Lord Jesus gives us the answer.

 Mat 18:15  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 

Mat 18:16  But if he will not hear there, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 

Mat 18:17  And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 

Mat 18:18  Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 

 We should first approach that person and attempt to resolve this issue with them.

 If we do not succeed, then we should try one more time, bringing another person.

 If we do not succeed, then we need to get the Pastor involved and then the church.

 If that person confesses that sin to God, and another person, if such a one was involved, and no one else needs to know about it.

 What had happened in this church at Corinth was a terrible sin, and almost all the church knew it and had done nothing Biblical to stop it.

 Some in this church even thought this was laughable.

 *****1Co 5:1  It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. 

 We should not try to connect this chapter with chapter four, as Paul jumps in to handle this sinful situation in the Church at Corinth.

 To the Church, this is a terrible sin, and is rarely seen, but to the Jew, this sin was specifically addressed in the Scriptures and the Books of the Law.

 This passage gives us an idea of just how wicked the city of Corinth was; it was full of all sorts of lust, lewdness, and excessive unlawful indulgence.

 This sin is unacceptable in almost every nation upon this earth.

 We would think that this sin was not possible for a believer to take part in, but we would be wrong.

 The Apostle Paul explains this very well: Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 

Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 

Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 

 We should understand what Paul is saying here and prepare ourselves for the day the Devil will place us in these situations.

 When morals have become so corrupted as they have in our nation and most other nations of this world, we see more and more of these types of sin.

 Our own nation might recognize same sex marriages, but God does not.

 Fornication is any sexual relationship outside the relationship of a marriage between one man and one woman.

 The Word of God states that gay men and lesbian women are living in sin.

 In Hebrew families, fornication was seen as a crime against society and was severely condemned, and it should be.

 Deu 22:22  If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

 So, how did this church respond to knowing this sin had taken place and this church member was living in sin?

 We sometimes do not realize how important it is for us to confess our sins and repent for them.

 We cannot live in sin and say we are Christians!

 *****1Co 5:2  And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

 How did this group of believers react to this sin in the midst of them?

 They acted as if nothing was wrong. They became arrogant, pretending to be greater than they were, even proud of themselves.

 The Church at Corinth was in deeper sin than the man who had done this wickedness, when they should have been sad that such a thing took place.

 If they had been sad, maybe the man who had done such a thing might have been removed from the congregation.

 We come into the Church to praise and honor God, and we are saved through the Lord Jesus Christ, who did not sin at all.

 We cannot connect Jehovah to sin!

 We cannot connect the Lord Jesus Christ to sin!

 We know that the Lord Jesus Christ died for all our sins.

 We must not be partakers with those who are living in sin!

 Eph 5:1  Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 

Eph 5:2  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 

Eph 5:3  But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 

Eph 5:4  Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 

Eph 5:5  For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 

Eph 5:6  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 

Eph 5:7  Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

 If we allow such things to go on unchallenged, then we are partakers with these so-called Christians.

 Paul said the church should have handled this situation immediately after finding out about it.

 If a sin of this proportion has become public knowledge and is allowed by the church, how could we ever criticize the sins of the world?

 *****1Co 5:3  For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 

1Co 5:4  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

1Co 5:5  To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 

 What is Church discipline? Discipline in the Church comes from rules for order and the purity of the lives of the members, including rules for the government and worship in the church.

 Each church may have different rules for the discipline of church members.

 We have already read what the Lord Jesus has said in Matthew chapter 18.

 Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: 2Th 3:6  Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 

 Then Paul added: 2Th 3:14  And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. 

2Th 3:15  Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

 We can love them and pray for them, but we cannot hang out with them.

 First: This man was to face church discipline, "in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ".

The Lord Jesus is the head of the Church. It is His Church!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ whose name is being damaged.

It is for the Lord Jesus that discipline should take place!

It is only by the conviction of the Lord Jesus that will awaken this brother to his sin.

 Second, the entire church was to come together to handle this difficult matter.

Paul said he would be with them in Spirit.

This church was to clean itself up before this discipline could take place.

 A church full of sin cannot discipline a sinful member!

 Third: This brother is to be given to Satan.

 What does this mean? In short, it means that this brother was to be excommunicated.

 If the Church is in the realm of God, then outside the Church is the realm of Satan.

 2Co_4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

 Those outside the Church do not have the hand of God to protect them, and God would remove His hand of protection from this brother.

 We have not seen much church discipline throughout the many denominations today, as many of them have fled from the truth of God and have given in to the world, and the Church has lost its power.

 It is only by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ that discipline can be carried out on any child of God.

 We know for sure that there is Spiritual power that inflicts punishment for sin.

 2Th_2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

 For those who have control of their flesh, we already have God's answer to that problem.

 1Jn 5:16  If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. 

1Jn 5:17  All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. 

1Jn 5:18  We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. 

 The Apostle Paul tells us that Christians can become castaways

 1Co 9:27  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 

 We are told to always examine ourselves: 2Co 13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

 The only person who can commit a sin unto death is a church member!

 I do not know what this means, but it is said by some to mean eternal death.

 Review: 1Jn 5:12  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

 If the life that God gives is Spiritual and Eternal, then the sin unto death must correspond, and it must mean the opposite, which is spiritual and eternal death.

 This being true, then for the Bible to be held in High Regard, this person must not have been saved to begin with, because we cannot lose our salvation!

 Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 

Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 

Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one. 

 It is never good for any church or any church member to glorify sin, especially as we see it today!

 *****1Co 5:6  Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 

1Co 5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 

1Co 5:8  Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

 We know that using leaven is the same as we use yeast today.

 Leaven in the Bible stands for sin.

 Sin in the Church leavens the whole Church.

 This sin had reached the Apostle Paul in Ephesus, and the testimony of this church in Corinth was ruined because this church was glorifying sin.

 As long as sin remained in this church, the testimony of our Lord Jesus, who had no sin, and drastic measures must be taken, or the early church would fail.

 Too often, a church will overlook the sin and a sinful lifestyle of a man who is a leader in the community, government, or big business. In fact, some churches will brag about having such a man as a member

 This church in Corinth needed to wake up to the truth of the Word of God.

 The first thing this church needed to do was to remove the sin by removing the sinner.

 This meant that every member needed to look at their own lives to make sure to remove any sin that they had.

 This means looking at their old life before salvation and making sure there were no remnants of that sin remaining within them.

 If we accept the truth of God, then there must not be any of that old leaven in our lives.

 This is a big problem in the Church today.

 Many of the queer community just say God made them the way they are which means God must have made some mistakes when He created them which is impossible. God does not make mistakes!

 Like every sinner, they can be forgiven, but they must repent of their sin just as all sinners must do.

 To become Christian, we must be "Born Again" and become new creations of God without sin.

 The Church is not to bring sin (leaven) back into the Church!

 2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

 During the Passover, the Jews would remove any leaven they had in their homes, even taking a candle and searching all the corners and the dark spaces to be sure to remove any leaven that remained in their homes.

 It is no different for us; we are to search ourselves to remove any sin that remains in our lives after salvation.

 If we continue to practice sin and or accept sin, it proves we do not believe that we are cleansed by the Blood of Jesus Christ.

 "For even Jesus Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us".

 This Church at Corinth must have its own Passover and search out all sin and remove it from the congregation before they could remove this sinner.

 1Jn 3:18  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 

1Jn 3:19  And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 

1Jn 3:20  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 

1Jn 3:21  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 

 *****1Co 5:9  I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 

1Co 5:10  Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 

 The duty of the Church is to separate itself from the World!

 The duty of the Church is to welcome every sinner into the Church and teach them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If they accept the truth of the Lord Jesus, they can stay; if they reject the truth of Jesus Christ, then they must leave and go back into the world.

 There is no middle ground!

 The Church must separate itself from the world!

 We are not to become a part of the world outside the doors of the Church.

 We must be friendly and love those who are lost, but we do not party with them or hang out with them.

 If we know of some in the Church under false pretenses, we are not to associate with them.

 We are not to keep close company with the lost world!

We have to work in this world, and we have to live in this world, but we are not to be a part of this world.

 What we find is that much of the Church of today has ignored the teachings the Holy Spirit gave to the Apostle Paul.

 It can be said that fornication is what drives the world's sin today.

 Fornication includes all immoral sexual acts! Adultery, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, and any form of sexual deviation.

 Those who practice fornication are not to be part of the fellowship of the Church!!!!!!!

 The Church is not to become mixed up with the covetousness of this world.

 The word covetous means all those who seek more and more, while millions within this world are dying from sin, hunger, disease, and poverty.

 Covetousness is a sin that is especially despised by Jehovah!

 Luk 12:15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 

 The Church is not to become mixed with extortioners.

 These are thieves, grafters, and those who take advantage of the poor to get more gain for themselves.

 There is a certain party in politics that has been doing this for years, and in fact, this is what all the immigration we have seen in the last few years was all about: to gain voters and people dependent upon handouts they could control.

 This Church is not to become mixed with those who worship false gods. There can be no Chrislam!

 Jesus Christ is the God of the Bible, and He must be accepted as such!

 Believers are in the world, but they are not to be part of the world!

 Eph 5:10  Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 

Eph 5:11  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 

 *****1Co 5:11  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 

 We must separate ourselves from those who say they are Christians, but the fruit of their lives tells a different story.

 We know our salvation is between us and God, but the Lord said we would know them by their fruit.

 To be safe, we must avoid them while praying for them, not even eating with them.

 These are the same ones who should not participate in the Lord's Supper.

 Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

 Psa 78:35  And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. 

Psa 78:36  Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. 

 *****1Co 5:12  For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 

1Co 5:13  But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. 

We have nothing to do with the people whom the Lord will judge when He returns.

Our one job is to tell them of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we need to show them the love of Christ while we are doing this.

The lost world will be judged by God, and we can tell them how to avoid this judgment.

Any and all evil must be removed from the Church!

There must be discipline in the Church!

Those who refuse to repent must be removed from the Church!

We must not forget we were once part of the lost world.

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 

Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 

Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 

Knowing what we were before coming to Christ should allow us to see those who in the Church who are still of the world, but we should also remember there are times we should not remove them, as the Lord has stated.

1Th 4:11  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; 

1Th 4:12  That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. 

The Lord Jesus has already said: Mat_13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

There must be discipline in the Church, but it must be done according to the Word of God!

Remember, every Word of the Bible was written for the Church!

Amen

God's Servants

How To Regard God's Servants

 1 Corinthians Chapter 4

 I liked the statement in our lesson that said churches that go against the Word of God are trying to construct a shambles out of man's wisdom and the things of this world, rather than a mansion in Heaven.

 Some mega churches are doing this today. In fact, there are many churches in many denominations doing this today.

 The one thing we know about those who preached in the Church of Corinth were some of the best men of God at that time.

 1) Apollos was a Jew who knew the Scriptures very well and was an eloquent speaker.

 2) Cephas was the Apostle Peter, led to the truth by the Lord Jesus Christ.

 2) Paul, the great Apostle to the Church called by the Lord Jesus himself, just as the other Apostles were called.

 These were all ministers of Jesus Christ.

 This word minister means "chief servant" of God, and each one must be called of God to be His ministers.

 Exo 28:1  And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. 

Exo 28:2  And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. 

Exo 28:3  And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. 

 Heb 5:4  And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. 

Heb 5:5  So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. 

 It is the Lord Jesus Christ who gives each of them directions.

 Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

 The Lord Jesus gives us all these same directions.

 I cannot understand any denomination that rejects any teaching of our Holy God.

 Some people in this Church in Corinth had been blessed, probably led to the Lord by Apollos, so they spoke up for Apollos.

 Some people in this church had been blessed by Cephas, and Cephas, the Apostle Peter, is the only one that the Bible says led over three thousand to the lord in one day.

 Some people said they had been blessed by Paul, who can be said to be the greatest Christian of all time.

 All these men had the same "Gospel Message" because there is only one Gospel!

 *****1Co 4:1  Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

1Co 4:2  Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 

 Paul said none of us have any qualifications on our own, but our just servants of the Most High God.

 This church should have had only one question, which is, were these men of God faithful to the Gospel, not whether they were eloquent or philosophical.

 Sermons are to be much more than just material for discussion.

 There is no discussion on the mandate of God.

There is no discussion on our means of salvation.

There is no discussion on the Lord Jesus Christ and the work that He did for our salvation!

There is no discussion on the truth of God, our Creator.

There is no discussion on the Virgin Mary and the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ.

 A steward is a person who manages the property or affairs of another person. A good steward will deal with these things in a way that other person will benefit from it.

 We are all to be stewards of the Word of God, so Heaven will benefit from it.

 God has already warned us not to add to or take away from or twist His Word into some other meaning than what it says.

The Word of God is settled in Heaven and must remain as it is written!

 No servant of God is to be elevated above another servant of God; we are all in this thing together, yet each servant is to be esteemed highly for the work's sake.

 We are all to be faithful to God's calling.

 Every minister of God's Word is to be faithful, and this is essential.

 In reality, God's man has no other requirement.

 1Ti 1:11  According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. 

1Ti 1:12  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

 What is our Pastor to our church?

 1) He is a servant of God.

2) He is a steward of the mysteries of God.

3) He is a steward to be faithful to his Master and our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 We are not to judge our Pastor beyond these things.

 *****1Co 4:3  But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 

1Co 4:4  For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 

 Every man of God who is truly called and speaks the message of God that comes from the true Word of God does not care what the world says about him. Their judgment is meaningless in the plan of God.

 Every "Born Again" child of God has been judged by God and is then justified by God.

 To be justified is to be forgiven of our sins and pardoned from guilt and punishment, and is an act of God's "grace," and this comes by the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 

 Rom 5:9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 

Rom 5:11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

 If we are in the will of God, answering God's calling, then we are free from the guilt of our past lives.

 Justify means just as if we had never sinned to begin with. This is an action of God's "Grace". 

 How the world judges us becomes irrelevant.

 No judgment of man can overrule the judgment of God!

 Paul adds that he is not aware of any action he has taken that would seem to be a dereliction of his duty to serve the LORD.

 Paul understood that he was still a sinner saved only by the "Grace of God".

 No doubt there may be many sins which we commit without being aware of them, so God and God alone has the power to pronounce sentence upon our doings.

 God did not call us to be "judges", God called us to be free servants!

 *****1Co 4:5  Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. 

 Just because we are God's children, this does not give us the right to judge anyone else, lost or saved.

 This does not mean that we will not recognize the lost and the saved by their actions: Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 

Mat 7:16  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 

Mat 7:17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 

Mat 7:18  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 

Mat 7:19  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 

Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

 We must learn not to judge because only the Lord can know the heart of man.

 No one but the Lord can know the real motives behind the way we live our lives.

 Only the Lord can know the darkness that is in us!

 Jer 16:17  For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. 

 It is only when the Lord Jesus returns that He will judge this world!

 Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 

 Because my name is written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, the Lord Jesus is my Master; only He has the right to judge me!

 Worldly judges love to judge according to their own beliefs and not by the laws of the land as we are seeing today.

 *****1Co 4:6  And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

 Some of the members of the church in Corinth had begun to judge other members in the same way a court-appointed judge would judge.

 They were judging according to the gifts they saw in each Preacher, when it is God alone who can judge those He has called to the ministry.

 God says they were just a bunch of puffed-up airbags who were doing their best to divide the church.

 The pure fact is that we are not ourselves living according to the Word of God, how can we be examples for other believers?

 Paul said he and Apollos could be looked upon as examples of true stewards of the Word of God who also lived according to the Word of God.

 The one standard for every Christian is the Word of God!

 God did not give us His Word to think about and meditate upon; God gave us His Word for us to live by.

 This should be the message behind every sermon from every God called preacher to teach us what God expects from our lives.

 We are never to think above what God has written for us.

 If we all live according to the written Word of God, we will all arrive at the same place.

 The Apostle Peter said we have the most important words that have ever been written, and they are the truth.

 2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 

2Pe 1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 

2Pe 1:21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 

 It is the Word of God that lights up our path to live in this life: Psa 119:105  NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

 Not one Christian is more important than another in the eyes of God!

 *****1Co 4:7  For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? 

 I truly believe we have the best pastor in our area or any other area, but we must realize that when we begin comparing one pastor with another, we are bordering on sin.

 Indeed, we can sometimes receive more from one preacher or teacher than from another. We must then apply this teaching to our lives, or that message was fruitless.

 It is a sin when a believer begins to think that no other preacher can preach like our favorite preacher, because this is meaningless in the work God has asked us all to do, and leads to a divided church.

 It is in God's design that makes each one of us different from another.

 Who makes us different from others?

Why do I think I can judge one person over another?

Why do I think I have grown so much Spiritually that I can judge one preacher over another?

Who gives us the gifts we receive to serve in God's army?

Why do I feel that I can exalt myself and make myself superior?

 How many of us would dare to answer these questions without taking a hard look at ourselves?

 We should be able to see that God the Holy Spirit provides us with the gifts we have, and he chose those gifts for His reasons because only He knows how to make the House of God the strongest it can be

 Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 

 1Co 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 

1Co 12:4  Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 

1Co 12:5  And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 

1Co 12:6  And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 

1Co 12:7  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 

 How could we ever believe that we could be lord over God's people?

 How can we ever believe that God has appointed us to hand our approval or disapproval to any brother or sister in Christ, much less to God's preachers!

 There is never an excuse for any church to become divided if it accepts the truth of the Word of God!

 Why was Paul writing all these things to this church?

 *****1Co 4:14  I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. 

 These were strong words from the Apostle Paul, but keep in mind every letter written to the churches was then passed around to every church that was established, just as we are reading these words today.

 It is never the job of our Pastor to shame us.

It is always the job of our Pastor to warn us of just what God says.

 There would be no divisions in the Church if we paid attention to what God has said!

 2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 

2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 

 The Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and uses those words to sanctify us and to perfect us.

 This why the Word of God is so important!

 *****1Co 4:15  For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 

1Co 4:16  Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

 We should be able to notice the love the Apostle Paul had for this church as he refers to them as his children.

 We all know we got some harsh words from our parents as we grew up, but those words were words for us to learn from.

 Paul had led many of these Corinthians to the Lord, so in this sense, he was like a father to them, and Paul was warning them rather than causing them shame.

 No genuine preacher would ever fail to warn the flock that the Lord has given to them.

No wise congregation would ever reject or attempt to silence that warning of a caring and loving Pastor.

 We can only know if our pastors preach the truth if we study our Bibles.

 If our Pastor is true to the Word of God, it will show in his lifestyle, and he will be an example for us to follow.

 As the men of the Church, we should all try to set the example as fathers to the children of the Church.

 We should set a good example as husbands to our wives.

 We should set the example as the heads of our family.

 This is what our Lord Jesus did every day of His life in the flesh: He set the example and lived a perfect life without sin.

 The Apostle Paul lived a life of commitment and self-denial for the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Paul gave all he had in his service of the Cross of Jesus.

 2Ti 1:12  For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 

2Ti 1:13  Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 

2Ti 1:14  That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. 

 If we truly know our Savior, then we will certainly know the truth of those who preach to us!

 *****1Co 4:17  For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

We must understand Church growth.

It is not the number of people in any church; it is the number of people in the church who are no longer babes in Christ and are committed to serving the Lord.

It is the Spirit of God that provides for the growth of His people, and He uses that man of God who is committed to the Word of God and the will of God.

Peter and Apollos were performing their duties, and they could not be held responsible for the events occurring at the church in Corinth.

Timothy was also led to the Lord by the Apostle Paul, and Timothy could show by example what he had been taught by the Apostle Paul.

There was a great contrast between the preachers and their so-called followers.

These Corinthians were judging the preachers who had given their time to this church, but not many of them bothered to follow the Word of God they were taught.

Many profess to be Christians, and the Bible says we can know them by their fruit.

The fruit would be the way they lived their lives.

Paul took responsibility for this church and its welfare.

Though he could not be there in person at this time, he sat down and wrote an epistle to them.

Paul sent this letter by Timothy, a young preacher who was solid in his faith.

Every preacher of the Gospel must be driven to provide whatever is needed for the growth of each Christian in his flock.

If there is anything in the life of the individual Christian that will hinder the growth of that individual, then it is serious to the Lord!

Timothy was a faithful servant called of God, trained by the Word of God and the Apostle Paul, and a great example of faith.

Remember, we all need discipleship to grow in the "Grace of God".

Amen 

Carnal Christians

 A Wise God and Carnal Christians

 Book of 1 Corinthians, Chapters 2 and 3

 What is "wisdom"? According to the dictionary, "wisdom" is the right use of knowledge. 

Then, this being true, there must be a wrong use of knowledge.

 Scriptural wisdom comes from our Creator and is in opposition to carnal blindness: Jas 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

 Wisdom is the knowledge of things in their proper nature and relations with the power of using them in the most useful manner.

 This wisdom can come only from God!

 Jesus Christ in His glory shows us the power of God.

 Jesus Christ in His humanity shows us the wisdom of God.

 1Co 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

 The world says the preaching of the Word of God is foolishness, but preaching the truth of God is far wiser than all the wisdom of mankind.

 1Co 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

 We know that many in this Church at Corinth had forsaken the Lord to chase the world, and though Paul could not return to this church at that time, he had written this Epistle.

 *****1Co 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

1Co 2:3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

1Co 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

 The Church of Corinth was deeply divided.

 They could not decide what kind of preacher they wanted.

 They were undecided about which one of God's servants contributed most to the church.

 They did not understand what preaching really is.

 We must understand what preaching is all about!

 1) A prophet of God revealed God to man.

2) The preacher's job is to reveal man to God.

 Heb 7:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

 Preachers are to follow our Great High Priest the Lord Jesus Christ with the power to lead each sinner to Christ.

 Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

 Because the Lord Jesus had no sin and He died for all our sin, we can be freed from all our sin.

 Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Heb 10:13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

Heb 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

 We can see that each Preacher is to preach Jesus and the work that He did for our salvation.

 Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

 Sound preaching is not eloquence.

Sound preaching is not about superiority. Not elevation, preeminence, not rising above his congregation.

Sound preaching is not human wisdom or philosophy.

Sound preaching is declaring the testimony of God, which is Jesus Christ and Him crucified for us!

 Jesus Christ, "all in all". All other subjects, political and philosophical, are insignificant.

 Preaching is about saving souls!

 The success of the Gospel does not depend upon the skill of the preacher, but on the demonstration of the Holy Spirit.

 *****1Co 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

 Those who are perfect are those who understand the Doctrines of Christianity.

 Those who are perfect are those who are no longer "babes in Christ".

 Those who are perfect are those who understand the mysteries of godliness.

 The Apostle Peter wrote: 2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

 The Apostle Paul wrote:

 Rom 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Rom 16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

Rom 16:27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

 Had this evil world understood the reason Christ came to this earth, we had better believe they would not have crucified our Savior.

They would have locked Him away.

 The truth is, this evil world does not understand the truth of God, the Gospel, today, after all these years.

 Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

 The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not going away!

 To those of us who are saved, we understand the truth of God is that only those whose name is written down in the Lamb's Book of Life will get to see and take part in the things God has prepared for His children.

 *****1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

 Only the Holy Spirit knows all things of God, and He will come to live in every believer in the salvation work of the Lord Jesus Christ and share His wisdom with us.

 Just as no one really knows what is on our mind unless we say, it is the same with Jehovah.

 This is what the Bible teaches us, what is on the mind of our Creator, our God.

 We can know nothing about our God unless He tells us.

 We cannot penetrate the Spirit world without God's assistance.

 No person has ever seen God, no matter what some people have claimed.

 As Christians, we see God in our hearts, but we will one day see Him face to face.

 We will be able to see Him because of the work Jesus Christ did to reconcile us to our Heavenly Father.

 The mysteries of the Gospel are no longer mysteries to true Christians.

 Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

 We know how to get to Heaven!

We know how to earn rewards while we are still upon this earth.

We know that we have a job to do while we are still in these bodies.

We know we are to assemble with like-minded Christians.

We know we are to be witnesses of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We know the next sound from Heaven will be the Trumpet of Gabriel calling us home.

 Every gift of wisdom we receive after we are saved comes by the Holy Spirit!

 Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?

Rom 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?

Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

 The spirit of the world, which we did not receive, can only tell us what men have invented or what the Devil has whispered in their ears.

 With the spirit of the world, no one can know anything related to the things of God.

 The spirit of the world is in contradiction with the things of God!

 *****1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

 There are only two types of people on this Earth!

 1) The Spiritual man, whose spirit is the temple and dwelling place of the Spirit of God. We can know the thoughts of God because we are living in union with His eternal mind. All God's gifts are freely given.

 1Jn 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

1Jn 2:21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

 Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

 2) There is the natural man who possesses only the intellect and conscience of ordinary humanity and who is under the power of the Devil. The natural man will have to pay his way into the filth of the Devil.

The natural man receives not the things of the Holy Spirit. He cannot receive them, and he cannot know them.

 Just as the deaf man cannot enjoy music and the blind man cannot enjoy beauty, the natural man cannot know the truth of our Creation nor the truth of our Creator.

 We know that the Holy Spirit has given us all the Word of God, and we also know that the world rejects the truth of God the Holy Spirit!

 The spirit of the natural man is dead to God!

 If we never have a revelation of the Holy Spirit after we are saved, we know that He has already given us the truth of God.

 Only the Word of God can interpret the Word of God.

 All we have belongs to God!

 *****1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

1Co 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

 Paul is saying that these brethren of the Church at Corinth were still acting like men in the flesh rather than Jesus Christ.

 They were living as though they were nothing but flesh, they were still living at the human level of life.

 They had never gotten beyond the affairs and the material things of this life.

 Many Christians still live this way today and remain baby Christians all the days of their salvation.

 We know the flesh has no good things about it: Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

 When we are in the flesh, we cannot please God: Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

 When we are under the Spirit of God, we are removed from being under the influence of the flesh: 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

 Even a Born-Again child of God can be carnal for a season!

 *****1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

1Co 3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

 We all know that the more we read and study the Bible the more we will grow in the Spirit.

 It is those who refuse to read and study the Scriptures who get caught, who so easily bring the world into the Church because they have remained baby Christians.

 They are divided by their own beliefs, and they bring that division into the Church.

 It is carnal Christians who are the downfall of many churches!

 Carnality brings envy and strife. Envy leads to jealousy, and jealousy leads to division!

 Carnality begins when the members of the Church walk and act like the men of the world!

 Whole denominations are divided today because of baby Christians are bringing the world into the Church.

 Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

 There is only one remedy: Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

 We give ourselves to the Lord just so we can serve Him.

 Not as slaves but as willing servants who honor the truth of God!

 *****1Co 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

1Co 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

 Those who minister the Word of God are never to be lords over God's people!

 They are here to give us the LORD's message, but that message will never be different from the Word of God that He has already given to us.

 We are never to forget that the LORD is in the soul-winning business, and this is the same occupation as the Church.

 Ministers are the instruments of God for this purpose!

 Ministers are not to be praised other than for preaching the truth of God, the message of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 The Gospel is always to be the focus of their attention; anything else is second to this.

 The building of schools is second.

The building of hospitals is second.

Feeding the world is second.

Soul winning and discipleship are to be the main functions of the Church period!

 The servants of God are nothing compared to God.

 No preacher or pastor or whatever they are called has any cause for glory, praise, honor, or recognition.

 There is no reason for any servant of God to feel pride until all the work is done.

 We are to respect our pastor.

We are to love our pastor.

We are to thank God for our pastor.

We can esteem our pastor because he has the most difficult job on this earth.

 Our pastor preaches four times a week to the Church.

He leads Bible College one night, which is separate from this.

He often goes to other churches and preaches even more times.

 We know that one pastor waters because someone before him has spread the seed.

 We can be a part of this, but we must never hinder the work of the ministers of God!

 The growth of the Church is in the hands of God.

 We are to honor and praise the Lord and not our pastors and preachers!

 2Co 3:1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?

2Co 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:

2Co 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

2Co 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:

2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

2Co 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

 If our Lord Jesus is not sufficient, then the Church will soon perish from this world.

 *****1Co 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

 All preachers and pastors or whatever they are called in the many denominations, are equal in God's eyes if they preach and teach the truth of God's Word.

 Every one of them is personally responsible to God.

 Each one will be rewarded for what they have done and not what some other minister has done.

 Trying to be like others is not his job.

 His job is to be what our Heavenly Father called him to do.

 Not one of them has been called to go against the truth of God's Word. (Let that sink in)

 We are all called to be the ministers of God's Word!

 We are all to be coworkers with God.

 As much as we can, we are all to be more like Christ Jesus as we grow in the Word of God.

 So, those who plant the Seed of God and those who water the Seed of God are one tool in God's Hand.

 Joh 4:36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

Joh 4:37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.

Joh 4:38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

 The Lord Jesus Christ is the sole Agent of God's salvation plan.

 I know that this statement will upset a lot of religions, but this is the truth of the Word of God.

 This is why Christianity differs from religion!

 Some would say that God requires us to spread the Gospel, but the truth is that God wants us to give ourselves freely to the work of Jesus Christ.

 Mar 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Mar 16:20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

 We are God's fellow workers.

We are God's husbandry.

We are God's building.

We are laborers together with our Savior!

 Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Source of all that concerns His Church, and we are His Church.

 We never belong to our Pastor or any pastor or preacher, or evangelist, or the Pope, but we belong to God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ.

 It is a family affair to spread the Gospel!

 Mat 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Mat 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

Mat 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

 The truth then is that many of God's family lack the compassion to be a laborer in God's family.

 The Pastor and all believers are to be workers together with our Holy God!

 Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 

Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

 The Lord Jesus is the only foundation of the true Church.

 *****1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

 Though Jesus Christ is rejected by the world and religion, He is the only foundation of God's Church.

 Mat 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

 Jesus Christ is the same Stone that will fulfill prophecy.

 Dan_2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

 All foundations, whether they be of the remnants of all previous world powers, will fall to the humble Shepherd who will be King of kings and Lord of lords, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Jesus Christ Himself is the only foundation upon which men can build their lives.

 *****1Co 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

1Co 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

1Co 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

1Co 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

 There are two types of preaching that we hear today.

 1) One type of preaching leads to permanent results.

 This preaching is for the glory of God and builds upon Jesus Christ.

This preaching is for the well-being of mankind.

This preaching leads to permanent results.

This preaching leads to rewards for that preacher.

 2) The other type of preaching is not according to the knowledge of God or Jesus Christ.

 This preaching is for the glory of the preacher.

This preaching is not for the well-being of man.

These preaching leads to fuel for the fires of Hell.

This preacher will burn in the hottest part of Hell, closest to the Devil.

 1Pe_4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

 The inspection of the Church is very near.

 The Church began so that it could be finished by the time of the Rapture of the Church.

 The Lord Jesus is soon coming to approve or disapprove of those in the Church.

 Mat 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

Mat 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

Mat 13:26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

Mat 13:27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

Mat 13:28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

Mat 13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

 Then our Lord and Savior will accept the true Church into His Heavenly family while those who belong to Satan will burn!

 Amen

The Divided Church

 A Divided Church

 1 Corinthians Chapter 1

 As we begin our look into the First Book to the Corinthians, we also meet the Apostle Paul.

 We know that Paul was the writer that the Holy Spirit used to preserve these words for the Church of today.

 Why was this letter to the Corinthians needed?

 1) To remove divisions in the Church and bring the Church back as "one" Body of Christ.

 Was Jesus Christ ever divided in His teachings? No. And neither should the Church at that time, nor should the Church be divided today!

 2) To deal with immorality that was entering the Church from this immoral world.

 3) To answer any questions the Church might have, because this was a church filled with baby Christians. They needed to grow in Christ.

 Every “New Born” Christian needs to spend time in discipleship.

 The Lord Jesus spent three years with the Apostles and three years with the Apostle Paul in discipleship training.

We all need to be discipled!

 The things that happened in Corinth are things every church has to contend with in this wicked and immoral world.

 This city had a large population of people coming from all parts of the world.

 Most ships traveling from the East or from the West would stop at Corinth.

 Most roads of commerce crossed at the City of Corinth.

 This made the City of Corinth a wicked and corrupt city.

 Corinth became an intellectual and cultural center as well.

 All these things together made the City of Corinth a potential place for worldwide missions.

 If a church could be established in Corinth, the Word of God could spread all around the world.

 This place first needed to meet the Almighty Living God!

 This church at Corinth was established, and like all baby Christians, they needed discipline.

 Paul began as a gentle shepherd over his flock and moved on to greater things.

 1Co 1:4  I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; 

1Co 1:5  That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; 

1Co 1:6  Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 

1Co 1:7  So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 

1Co 1:8  Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 *****1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 

 Every Pastor, Preacher or Priest is called to be a brother to all other believers and the Apostle Paul used the word brother when he was addressing this church.

 We all have the same Heavenly Father, and we all are saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, and we all are filled with the same Holy Spirit, and we are all to have the same Word of God, and it is time that the Church to unite around these things, for we are in the last of days.

 We are not better than anyone else in this world, but we can say we are better off only because our names are written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

 If your name is written down in the Lamb's Book of Life, you are already a saint of God and set apart for the Lord.

 The true Church belongs to God!

 The false church belongs to the Devil!

 Isa 48:11  For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: "for how should my name be polluted"? and I will not give my glory unto another. 

 No one can approach God but through the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who think they can be are still lost.

 If you feel like you have lived your life good enough for Heaven, then you are self-righteous and still lost, no matter who you are.

 Super-spirituality and pride have no place in the House of God!

 We can only be in the Church because of the Grace of God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

 Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 

Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

 God's "Grace" is the free gift of God, and God is extending His "Grace" out to all who will accept it today!

 The Church must be unified behind these truths today; these truths will never change!

 This message must be tender and full of love!

 The word "beseech" means, come let's share these truths together.

 Our faith binds us to the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and not the things of this world!

 Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

 We must approach each other with the "love of Christ".

 We will never agree on everything in the Church, but we must hold the truth of Jesus Christ in our hearts!

 Php 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 

 We cannot allow the teachings of this world to tear us apart when those teachings go against the truth of God.

 Everyone must repent from the teachings of this world about salvation, which this world knows nothing about.

 We all must be in the same mind, as we will all be judged by the same Word of God!

 *****1Co 1:11  For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 

 The word contentions here mean strife, the struggle that had become violent along with quarreling.

 These are works of the flesh.

 There was no peace in this church in Corinth!

 When men divide the Body of Christ, then it is Christ who bleeds; Christ is not divided.

 This Chloe was probably a lady in Ephesus, from where Paul wrote this Epistle, because we know Paul would never have mentioned the name of a member of the church in Corinth.

 She is probably a Christian, maybe even the wife of Stephanus and possibly the mother of Fortunatus and Achaicus.

 1Co 16:17  I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. 

 Or Paul got this information from one of her slaves, but not from her.

 If we are seeking glory other than the glory of the Lord, we will never find it because it does not exist!

 There will be a perfect union in Heaven for all God's children, and division here on earth could cause some not to get there.

 If we are to live a true Christian life, we must draw upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is the same for every Christian.

 The unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ are at our disposal.

 Each and every one of us is called of God, but not to cause divisions or strife inside the Church or outside the Church.

 When news of a divided church reaches another nation, then the testimony of that church will not be good enough to win souls.

 Our one job is to win souls for Jesus Christ. if we have problems, then the first place to seek help is the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Mat_6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 Next, we should seek an audience with our Pastor.

 *****1Co 1:12  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 

1Co 1:13  Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 

 I think we have the greatest church in our area, and for certain, we have the best Pastor.

 Most of us cannot wait to hear the message God has given him at every service.

 Occasionally, he will take time for rest, or he will preach in some other place of worship or for some other reason, but if the congregation finds out that he will not be here the size of the congregation will shrink because someone else will preach.

 In many ways, this is Pastor worship rather than the worship and praise of the Almighty God.

 We come to Church to praise our Heavenly Father and to worship Him in Spirit and Truth, no matter who is preaching the message of God.

 If we trust the Lord, then we know that person will also preach a message that God has given to them, and those who did not come because our true Pastor was not there, miss out on that message.

 Is this not the same thing that Apostle Paul is saying here in this Scripture.

 Jesus Christ is not divided, and these things must never divide our congregation.

 We are all going to have differences of opinion from time to time, but we all have the same Word of God, and we all strive to get to our true home in Heaven.

 There is only One Heaven!

 We cannot bring the Lord Jesus Christ down to the level of man!

 We all know that we must have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ to get to the Glory World, and again Our Lord Jesus is not divided in fact, He is very blunt when speaking His own words which we see in Red letters.

 I am certain that we all have our favorite teachers in our church.

 If we say we belong to Jesus Christ, then we had better act like we do!

 We can never place our Lord Jesus at the level of ordinary teachers, even if they are our favorite Preacher or teacher.

 Every believer belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, if not, then you are not saved!

 We do not know everything about our Savior, we only know what the Holy Spirit decided we needed to know to get us saved.

 John 21:25  And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

 The God of the Bible is unlimited in knowledge and power, and I just want to be close as I can to Him in His house.

 The closest I can get here upon this earth is in a Bible believing Church with a Bible believing Pastor!

 These are things we will get to know over the next million years when we join Him in Heaven.

 We need to agree on the salvation plan of Jehovah God, and then, we can discuss those places where we differ from one another without them dividing us.

 Sometimes we just have to agree to disagree while keeping our relationship with our Savior sound!

 It is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that unifies us, all of us.

 Joh 10:16  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

 The Church is a long way from what the Lord says here in this passage today!

 The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and we had better keep that straight in our minds!

 There is only one Head of the Church, and there is only one Church, and this Church is to follow the One Word of God!

 We are to be Christians because we follow the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that He did, so we can be saved.

 Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 

Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 

Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, "which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them".

 If we say we are liberals, or Catholics, or Baptists, or of any other title, then our parting spirit is sin!

 We are all to be Christians!

 There is only One who was crucified for our sin, the sin of us all.

 We all have the same mandate: Matt 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 

 *****1Co 1:14  I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; 

1Co 1:15  Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. 

1Co 1:16  And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. 

1Co 1:17  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

 It was for this very reason that Paul did not like to baptize new Christians. He agreed with Biblical Baptism with all his heart, but he did not want to be put on some pedestal for baptizing the most people or have the most converts.

 Paul said if we in any way make the Lord Jesus less than the Head of the Church, we are striving toward the death of the Church.

 We all have a calling of some manner in the Church so. Let’s do what the Lord called us to do!

 1Co 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 

1Co 12:14  For the body is not one member, but many. 

1Co 12:15  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 

1Co 12:16  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 

1Co 12:17  If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 

1Co 12:18  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 

 There is a place to serve for every member of the Church!

 Paul said: he was to preach the Word of God which are the Words of Wisdom and not preach the wisdom of words.

 Divisions in any church cannot be resolved by words of human wisdom. The cross alone is the answer to a divided church!

 *****1Co 1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

 There are only two categories of people in this world!

 1) Those doomed to perish.

2) Those who have been saved from perishing.

 As the years pass and we get older, we get closer to the grave and Hell or we are getting closer to Heaven, the Glory World.

 We are never just sitting still! We are perishing or we are saved.

 We cannot say "being saved" because it is a finite event and is eternal.

 Perishing means to be in a lost state in the world that comes after death. Hell is a real place, people!

 1) Salvation is a once-for-all experience meaning once we have been saved it is then in the past and unchangeable and we can live the rest of our lives at peace with God.

 Luk 7:50  And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

 2) Salvation is a continuous experience. It occurs right now, in the present.

 The verse we are on right now, verse 18, " For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God".

 3) The redemption experience of our salvation is still in the future.

 Rom 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 

 Those who reject these things are not very wise!

 *****1Co 1:19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 

1Co 1:20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 

1Co 1:21  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 

1Co 1:22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:  

 Mankind seeks to conquer evil through science, technology, and the religion of human effort.

Mankind tries to conquer nature, disease, suffering, corruption and death and we never had this power and never will.

 As a people, we want a life that is full and free, but we want to dictate how we want it.

 We always want to stand on the mountain and say, "Look what I did".

 Most of this world is just not willing to live by the Word of God and what Jesus Christ has said.

 Science has not brought love, joy, and peace, but only to a few foolish people.

Technology has not brought love, joy, and peace to anyone.

Good works only make us self-righteous.

 The first thing we begin to understand about Jehovah is that He loves us enough to provide a way to save us.

 He has offered up the perfect sacrifice for us.

 On that cross, the Lord Jesus Christ took all our sins upon Himself, and then He took our punishment for having sinned upon Himself.

 Jehovah sacrificed Himself for us, and through this sacrifice, God saves us!

 Those who want to approach God by some other means will always fail because this is God's plan.

 The leaders of this world have never tried to solve the world's problems of sin and evil because it is just too prosperous for a few rich men who pull the strings on national leaders, and today on local leaders and our government become corrupt and refuse to change.

 Only the cross has the power to change the hearts of these men.

 There are some truly smart people in our world, but they spend their time on things that cannot change our world and make it a better place.

 The cross is the wisdom of God, the way God has chosen to save this world and to save those who have faith that he can do as He promises.

 If this world were to turn to the cross just to see the perfect demonstration of love and sacrifice, then this world would be a much better place.

 All our leaders know how to do is inquire and argue. We see it played out every day in our Senate and in our Congress and nothing gets done because they love corruption too much.

 It is the same in most of every nation.

 Even the Jews want to see some great sign from God after they have already seen and read about all the great things God has shown them.

 Even as they have just had their fiftieth birthday as a nation, they refuse to believe that it was Jehovah who caused this to happen.

 Isa_66:8  Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

 The next sign this world will see is the sound of the trumpet and the Church leaving this world.

 The Jews still stumble over the truth of Jehovah!

 *****1Co 1:23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 

1Co 1:24  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 

1Co 1:25  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

 We should understand that what we teach about the Lord Jesus Christ is the reverse of what the Jews and the world demand.

 Instead of a Messiah as ruler of all the earth, triumphant over all His enemies, we teach how a condemned criminal is our Savior and soon coming King and LORD.

 Christians teach that our one argument is the death and then the life of the Messiah.

 Isa 8:13  Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 

Isa 8:14  And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

 Jesus Christ is the power of God!

 The Jews and many in the world feel like they are the chosen seed of God, and they reach God because they have a godly heritage.

They still believe that they can be good enough to be acceptable to God.

 They believe that if they work hard enough, they can bring the Kingdom of God to this earth.

 They believe that the Golden Age of Earth is still in the future.

 The truth is, we can never be good enough to be acceptable to God.

The penalty for our sin had to be paid for by the perfect sacrifice of God's Son.

That we trust in that sacrifice.

That true belief in God's Son gave all He had to save this world for eternity.

 When religion looks upon the ugliness of the cross, the ugliness of sin, and suffering instead of glory, they are repulsed.

 Who are the blessed of God? Mat 11:6  And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. 

 The world continues to stumble over the simplicity of the cross, but the world is missing the message of the Cross.

 2Co_11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

 It is the Cross of Jesus Christ that God's way is wiser and stronger than the way of religion and the way of man!

 This is why Christianity is by faith and not by religion.

 Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 

Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 

 ***** 1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 

1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 

1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 

 Which group of people does God save?

 Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

Act 2:39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

 Our faith must lie in the fact that our life must be governed by a will that is far above this earth, and we receive the help of the Holy Spirit to guide us.

 My Pastor has said many times that we receive the Holy Spirit for our employment and not for our enjoyment.

 It is the Holy Spirit of God who does the calling.

 Act 7:51  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 

 It is the Holy Spirit who remains with us throughout eternity

 Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 

 It is the Holy Spirit who will make our old bodies live again in glory.

 Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

 We are called according to God's purpose for us.

 Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

 God does not call many who are dependent upon themselves, we would say self-righteous.

 God calls simple and humble people.

 Those who believe they can save themselves may not be called, or at least God will not waste much time on them when He already knows what they will do.

 God's calling is not arbitrary and not without reason.

 God knows who will accept Him and who will not.

 God has a reason and a purpose for everything He teaches us!

 God smiles every time one of His nothings nullifies the somethings of this world.

 God has given each one of us the free will to decide or reject Him.

 If we are arrogant enough to think we do not need God, then He will not help us.

 God sent the Lord Jesus Christ to save those who know they cannot save themselves.

 God saves all those who want to spend eternity with Him in His House.

 Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

 *****1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence. 

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 

1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 

Not many simple and humble people will boast about anything.

The truth: 

1) Man will never be able to control sin and evil in this world.

2) Man will never be able to bring peace, assurance, and control to the human heart.

3) Man will never bring eternal life beyond our few short years upon this earth.

We have nothing to brag about and no right to glory in the things we do!

God's wisdom is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are nothing to God unless we are "Born Again" in Jesus Christ.

By the fact that the Lord Jesus arose from that grave to show us the power of God it becomes wisdom to follow in His ways.

It is by God pouring His Spirit into us that we can know the truth.

He is the Spirit of Righteousness, which means He knows no evil and by His power we can be sanctified which is working our way toward Holiness.

The Lord Jesus paid the price that God required for our sin, and if we believe in this, we are reconciled to God.

The entire work for our salvation is of God.

Our only work is to accept this great gift of God, so if we glory, let us glory in the Lord!

Amen

The Day of the Lord Jesus

 From Judgment to the Presence of God

 Book of Joel

 Joel is another of God's prophets that we know very little about and is called a Minor Prophet.

 Joe 1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.

 We know that the message of the minor prophets is just as important as that of the Major prophets. They are called Minor Prophets because their message is shorter. We know that the Holy Spirit used Joel to give Israel and the Church a message good throughout all the Ages.

 2Ti_3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

 The purpose of the Book of Joel is just like the message of all the writers chosen by the Holy Spirit, to turn the hearts of God's people back to the LORD.

 LORD being Jehovah. Jehovah designates God's nature as He stands with mankind as the only almighty, true, personal, Holy Being, a Spirit, and the Father of all Spirits.

 Num 16:22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

 Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Joh 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

Joh 4:26 "Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he".

 Our Lord Jesus says He is Jehovah in the flesh, the Father of all Spirits.

 We will see that Joel may not mention Judah by name, but he begins with a description of God's "judgment".

 Joel mentions the Day of the Lord more than any other Book in Scripture:

 The Day of the Lord is the day of the Lord's vengeance: Isa_34:8 For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

 From Joel: Joel 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

 From Joel: Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

 From Obadiah: Oba_1:15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

 There are other Scriptures by other Prophets as important as these.

 Our lesson begins with repentance.

 What is repentance?

 Repentance is first a change of mind.

It is second, a change of purpose.

It is then a change of life, and these things come with the promise of a remission of sin.

 Repentance is walking in the opposite direction from the way we walked as sinners.

 Repentance is coming out of the darkness of the Devil and into the Light of Jesus Christ.

 Luk_24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

 We can only do this if we have a true sense of our own guilt!

 Psa 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Psa 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

Psa 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Psa 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

 We need to study all of Psalm 51 to learn how to truly ask for forgiveness.

 What we know is that far too many who started with Jesus Christ are now forsaking Him!

 This was readily seen during the time of Covid 19.

 *****Joe 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

Joe 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

 The Prophet Joel gives us much information on the coming "Day of the Lord," but before God’s Day of wrath, He will first call for repentance.

 There is more to repenting than just saying you are sorry!

 Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Jas 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

 Joel is believed to be one of the prophets during the time of Joash who had Zechariah stoned between the courtyard and the altar on the Temple Mount.

 How do we question our God, who pleads with His people to return to Him?

 Anytime Jehovah calls for repentance then it is not too late to do so.

 What we know is the Lord is patient, but His patience will one day run out.

 2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

 Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

Rom 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

 God is tired of seeing the tearing of garments and wants to see the tearing of the hearts.

 We must reach that point in our life where we hate sin but not the sinner.

 We might ask ourselves why we should turn to the Lord.

 1) The Lord is full of "Grace and Mercy" and has pure love for us.

2) The Lord will repent of His promised wrath if we repent and turn to Him.

3) He will answer prayers. Which means He can restore our economies and our bodies.

 We may not understand the true power of Jehovah, but over and over in the Scriptures, God tells us exactly what he is going to do, especially on the Day of the Lord.

 Returning to the Lord also means returning to worship of Him.

 Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 Those who say we do not have to attend Church to be saved are one hundred percent correct, but after we are saved, we should do our best to obey all the Word of God, and it says not to forsake the assembling of the Church.

 This passage says we should be assembling more and not less, for we know we are in those end times.

 Every person who calls upon the Lord is to attend Church worship services and be sanctified, which means "set apart" for the Lord's use.

 In this day of Joel, the Lord told the priests and preachers to pray specifically that the Lord spare the people from the coming judgment on those who refuse to repent.

 *****Joe 2:14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?

Joe 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

Joe 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

Joe 2:17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

 If we know anything about the Word of God, we know the Lord could return at any moment to get His Church, and His wrath will begin once the Church has been removed.

 There may not be much time for anyone to repent, so now is the right time to repent, and it is certainly time to be sincere about it.

 Sin is an inward thing that comes from a sinful heart, and repentance must come from the heart.

 We must be sorrowful for any law of God that has been broken!

 Until the Lord returns in "judgment" means we still have time to repent!

 Repentance is essential to escape the "Day of the Lord" and the 'Judgment" of God!

 In the time of Jonah: Jon 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

Jon 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

 The Bible would not say these things if they were not true, but His judgment and His wrath are also true.

 Things will get so bad in the "Day of the Lord" that there will be people who say, "Where is God?", but they should have already considered what He said.

 With repentance comes the Lord's pity.

 *****Joe 2:18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.

 If we truly repent, no matter what we have done, the Lord will pity us. This is His promise!

 Will we still suffer for our sins? Yes, but we are now justified, and our name is written down in the Lamb's Book of Life.

 Chastisement leads to repentance.

 We should know that the Lord is always jealous of His land, and the Lord will provide well-being for His land.

 All those who attack Israel will find this out soon enough, but the Lord is jealous for all His creation.

 Maybe this is why we see so much turmoil in the lands today, which we call climate change.

 It is a Holy God who controls all our climate: Mar 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

 Things could be so much better if God's people would return to the Lamb of God!

 We should know that compassion is what the LORD will show to repentant people!

 It is also the Lord who provides all our needs and who can end wars.

 *****Joe 2:19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:

Joe 2:20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.

 The LORD promises mercy to all those who return to Him!

 It is called the "Grace of God".

 Material prosperity can be restored.

Respect and honor can be restored.

Peace and national security can be restored.

 These are just the little things that come to us when we love the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Many of us see these words as the end of the War of Armageddon.

 What had God said?

 2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2Ch 7:15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

 In type, this happens in verse 17.

 The LORD is still waiting for His people to repent and pray this prayer!

 God the Father fulfilled His promise to send the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 It is in Jesus Christ that everyone can receive the gifts of God's Mercy and God's Grace.

 It is in Jesus Christ that this world will be restored for one thousand years.

 This is the reason Our Lord Jesus came to this earth to offer reconciliation, and He will return as King of kings and LORD of lords and all the promises that were made will be fulfilled.

 *****Joe 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

 Every denomination of the Church knows that "judgment" is coming, and once it has taken place according to the Word of God, it will be the end of human history!

 The only thing that is left for all people to do is to repent!

 Just before the Lord returns will be a time of unparalleled tribulations.

 Those who are wise will not be victims of these tribulations because the LORD has given us a way out.

 Those who love the LORD have the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 We are not paying attention if we have not seen wonders happening in the heavens.

We are not paying attention if we have not seen wonders happening on this earth, no matter what scientists call them.

We should be waiting for something like an eclipse of the Sun and the Red Moon.

 We of the Church know that our time is really short and we need to be working on our families with the testimony of Jesus Christ.

 The Day of Salvation is now!!!!!!!

 *****Joe 3:1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

Joe 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

 The Valley of Jehoshaphat is the valley between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.

 We should understand that the scattering of God's people and the division of God's land are an insult to the property of God.

 Notice God says, "My people" and "My land" and He adds "My heritage".

 As I think upon this passage, I can recall the spot where the Lord Jesus will return.

 Act 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Act 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Act 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

 When the Lord returns, He will return to the Mount of Olives to the place where He had ascended.

 Zec 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Zec 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

Zec 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Zec 14:5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

 I believe that this is the day the LORD will judge all the nations that have gathered to destroy Israel.

 And Joel continues:

 *****Joe 3:12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

 Every nation that has opposed the Kingdom of God, as well as all those hostile nations that surround Jerusalem, are to be awakened.

 Joe 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:

 Up until this time, the lord has been standing, but here, we see that He will sit on His seat of judgment.

 Isa 50:8 He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.

 The Lord says Bring them on, He is ready to meet them.

 Joe 3:13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

 The Lord says it is far past the time to harvest the fruit of the earth because it is rotten.

 Rev_14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

 God has already condemned these nations.

 Multitudes and multitudes are in the valley of decision.

 The nations have made their decision, and Jehovah will pronounce His decision at that moment.

 Once the LORD begins, He will not end until it is over for wickedness and evil.

 *****Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Joe 3:15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

 Multitudes in the Hebrew suggest the confused noise of a great multitude.

 Isa 17:12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!

Isa 17:13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

 On this day, there will be many cosmic disturbances. All the heavenly bodies will be darkened, and this does not mean an eclipse of the Sun or the Moon because it concerns all heavenly bodies.

 Isa 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

 Why? It is the Day God will punish this world for its evil.

 Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Isa 13:12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

 The entire Solar System will shake violently.

 Hag 2:6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;

Hag 2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

 Jer 25:31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.

 It certainly will not be a good day for the militaries of those evil nations.

 There is much more that can be said about the Day of the Lord, but this would be a complete study in itself.

 We can see that the Lord will certainly judge the nations of this world.

 *****Joe 3:17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

 Israel will finally wake up to the truth of Jehovah as they see the work of the Messiah, who is the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Rev_5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

 This will be the time for Israel to repent!

 Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

 *****Joe 3:20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

Joe 3:21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.

 Israel will become the honcho nation in this world for one thousand years, and Our Lord Jesus will sit upon the Throne of David and rule this world with a rod of iron.

 Zec 14:8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

Zec 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

 Amen